The present invention relates to underwater acoustics, particularly submarine acoustics. Specifically, underwater acoustic reflectors and processes for obtaining the same are disclosed herein.
It is known that to improve the efficiency and ability to locate emitters or receivers of underwater acoustic waves which have originated from sonar equipment, it is necessary to provide an acoustic reflector placed behind the transducers.
It is equally known that the interface between a layer of gas, for example air, and water constitutes a reflective surface having a large reflective power as a result of the large discontinuity in acoustic impedance between air and water.
It has already been proposed to construct acoustic reflectors containing a volume of air, but these are not suitable for immersion at depths of the order of several hundred or thousands of meters because the volume of air which is compressed by the hydrostatic pressure changes its dimensions and thus the reflective power varies with the depth of immersion.